Proceno Music Festival (Francigena Musical Itineraries)
Ancient, classical, and contemporary music in a Via Francigena village
About Proceno Music Festival
A music festival on the Via Francigena
The Proceno Music Festival, which brings together the Francigena Musical Itineraries and Contemporary Speech projects, is the main concert series in the municipality of Proceno, a village of a few hundred inhabitants in the far north of the Viterbo province, in the Lazio region, on the border with Tuscany and Umbria. Created to showcase the village's historical heritage through music, the festival takes place over an unusually long period, from June to October, with concerts concentrated on weekends.
The meaning behind the name
The title Francigena Musical Itineraries stems from a simple image: just as the various branches of the Via Francigena converge towards the village of Proceno, so too did the great composers of the transition from Baroque to Classicism — Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Corelli, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven — trace a musical path fundamental to European culture. The program thus moves like a pilgrimage of listening, spanning from early music to the compositions of today.
Concert venues
The heart of the festival is the Sala delle Storie Profane at Palazzo Guido Ascanio Sforza, a frescoed historic residence that hosts most of the events and is part of the Lazio Historic Houses Network. Some concerts move outdoors or to other village locations:
- Piazza della Libertà, for evening outdoor events;
- Parco del Bottino Amphitheatre and Parco della Rimembranza;
- Church of San Martino, for sacred and choral repertoire;
- Auditorium Porsenna, for musical-theatrical performances.
A program spanning the centuries
The festival alternates early music ensembles playing period instruments, piano and violin recitals, guitar and flute duets, polyphonic choirs, youth saxophone ensembles, and forays into American swing and Mediterranean ethnic music. There are also world premieres of new compositions and lecture-concerts aimed at schools, making the festival an educational project as well. The artistic direction is led by maestro Cesare del Prato, who also performs as a pianist and conductor.
Free admission and community spirit
One of the festival's hallmarks is that it is free: almost all concerts offer free admission subject to availability, with reservations recommended. This format has made the festival a popular event not only for residents of the Alta Tuscia area but also for those walking the Via Francigena or visiting the villages around Lake Bolsena. The festival is produced by Progetto Sonora Impresa Sociale, in collaboration with the ACMT of Rome, with the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and the support of the Municipality of Proceno.
Discovering Proceno and the Tuscia region
Attending a concert here also means discovering a medieval village largely untouched by mass tourism: the castle with its panoramic tower, the volcanic stone alleys, and the terraces overlooking the Paglia Valley and Mount Amiata. Within a few kilometers, you can find Acquapendente, Lake Bolsena, and the villages of the Alta Tuscia, with their cuisine featuring legumes, olive oil, and grilled meats: an excellent reason to turn an afternoon of music into a weekend in northern Lazio.
Proceno Music Festival — edition 2026
Proceno Music Festival 2026
The 2026 edition confirms the festival's long-running format: nearly five months of concerts, distributed across weekends between June and October, almost all with free admission. The common thread declared by the organizers is the dialogue between eras: today's music does not forget its Baroque and Renaissance roots, and historical instruments coexist with new compositions in world premiere.
Among the most anticipated moments are the world premiere of the suite L'arco e il Ponte by Cesare del Prato, the choral appointment of the Corale Francigena in the Church of San Martino with Lorenzo Perosi's Missa Pontificalis II, the recital of Paganini's 24 Caprices performed by violinist Vincenzo Bolognese, and the musical-theatrical show L'arco e le pietre at the Parco del Bottino amphitheatre. Lecture-concerts for schools complete the project, which takes place in the Municipality of Proceno, in the province of Viterbo, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture.
Programme Proceno Music Festival 2026
June 2026
- Sunday, June 7, 11:30 AM — Palazzo Sforza: "Preview: what we will hear in this Festival", with Cesare del Prato
- Sunday, June 7, 6:00 PM — Palazzo Sforza: "Monologue in two suites", Luca Peverini, baroque cello
- Friday, June 12, 6:00 PM — Palazzo Sforza: "A contemporary baroque guitar", Nino D'Amico, guitar
- Saturday, June 27, 6:00 PM — Palazzo Sforza: "Scaramella goes to war", Ensemble Acqua Felix, with Minni Diodati (soprano) and Eduardo Ricciardelli (narrator), conducted by Maria De Martini
- Sunday, June 28, 6:00 PM — Palazzo Sforza: "Languages of choral music through the centuries", Marco Taschler Polyphonic Choir conducted by Cesare del Prato, featuring the world premiere of "L'arco e il Ponte"
July 2026
- Saturday, July 4, 11:30 AM — "Violins at the opera", Giorgio and Daniele Sasso, violins
- Saturday, July 4, 6:00 PM — "Wien, das singt", Federico Benetti (bass) and Cesare del Prato (piano)
- Sunday, July 5, 6:00 PM — "The poetics of the piano", Giovanna Basile, piano
- Saturday, July 11, 6:00 PM — "Artemis Duo — Dialogues in the feminine", Emma Baiguera (guitar) and Gabriela Clelia Cuna (flute and piccolo)
- Sunday, July 12, 6:00 PM — "L'Avversaria", Cristiana Verardo (vocals) and Gino Semeraro (guitar)
- Saturday, July 18, 6:00 PM — "The timeline", Sonora Junior Sax
- Sunday, July 19, 6:00 PM — Piazza della Libertà: "Sound wave", Sonora Junior Sax conducted by Domenico Luciano
- Sunday, July 26, 6:00 PM — "From courts to the pampas, a journey of strings", Bianca Maria Minervini, guitar
September 2026
- Saturday, September 12, 11:30 AM — "Preview: what we will hear in this Festival", Cesare del Prato
- Saturday, September 12, 6:00 PM — "Through the looking glass", Maddalena De Biasi (soprano), Adria Mortari (vocals), Gabriele Natilla (archlute)
- Sunday, September 13, 11:30 AM — "The voice of the cello", Gianluca Giganti (cello) and Francesca Giganti (piano)
- Saturday, September 19, 6:00 PM — "Bachian aspects", Insieme Strumentale di Roma with Minni Diodati (soprano)
- Sunday, September 20, 11:30 AM — "Oh, how many caprices, Mr. Niccolò", Vincenzo Bolognese, violin
- Saturday, September 26, 6:00 PM — "On the swing side", Marco Sannini (cornet), Pasquale De Rosa (piano), Marco de Tilla (double bass)
- Sunday, September 27, 6:00 PM — "8 winds and infinite songs", Alcanto Vocal Ensemble conducted by Vincenzo De Filippo
October 2026
- Saturday, October 3, 6:00 PM — Parco del Bottino Amphitheatre: "The arch and the stones", Marco Taschler Polyphonic Choir, conducted by Cesare del Prato
- Sunday, October 4, 11:30 AM — "From Venice to Madrid — Baroque textures", Aurora Macci (cello) and Emil Borisenko (harpsichord)
- Saturday, October 10, 6:00 PM — Auditorium Porsenna: "Quanno a tordi e quanno a grilli", with Cesare Cesarini, Anita Pusceddu, Clelia Liguori and Damiano Mercuri
- Sunday, October 11, 11:30 AM — Church of San Martino: "Missa Pontificalis II" by Lorenzo Perosi, Corale Francigena conducted by Alessio Chiuppesi
- Saturday, October 17, 6:00 PM — "Salve Regina" (Scarlatti, Pergolesi, Corelli), Insieme Strumentale di Roma with Lucia Napoli (mezzo-soprano)
- Sunday, October 18, 11:30 AM — "Contrattempo", Soul Food Voices Choir, Giuditta Puccinelli (soprano), conducted by Alessandro Forlini
- Friday, October 23, 11:30 AM — Lecture-concert for schools "First the music, then the words", Giorgio Sasso (violin) and Cesare del Prato (piano)
- Saturday, October 24, 6:00 PM — "Por los campos de España", Lucia Napoli (mezzo-soprano) and Francesco Romano (guitar)
Unless otherwise indicated, concerts are held in the Sala delle Storie Profane of Palazzo Guido Ascanio Sforza. The program is subject to change: it is advisable to check the festival's official website.
Highlights Proceno Music Festival 2026
- World premiere of the suite "L'arco e il Ponte" by Cesare del Prato (June 28)
- Paganini's 24 Caprices with violinist Vincenzo Bolognese (September 20)
- "Missa Pontificalis II" by Lorenzo Perosi in the Church of San Martino (October 11)
- Musical-theatrical show "L'arco e le pietre" at the Parco del Bottino amphitheatre (October 3)
- Outdoor concert "Onda sonora" in Piazza della Libertà with the young saxophonists of Sonora Junior Sax (July 19)
Prices Proceno Music Festival 2026
Practical information — Proceno Music Festival
Getting there
Proceno can be reached by car from the A1 motorway (Fabro exit, approx. 20 km) or via the Via Cassia SS2 passing through Acquapendente. By train, the most convenient stations are Orvieto and Chiusi-Chianciano Terme, both about 30 km away, from where you can continue by car or via Cotral regional bus services.
Tickets
Almost all concerts offer free admission subject to availability. Reservations are recommended by emailing [email protected] or calling the Proceno Info Point (+39 378 3080580). Some special events may include a small contribution fee for tastings at local venues.
Tips
The Sala delle Storie Profane has limited capacity: it is advisable to arrive at least twenty minutes early. For outdoor concerts, it is useful to bring a light jacket, as evenings in the hills can get cool, even in September. There are agritourisms and small guesthouses in the village and the surrounding area of Acquapendente.
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Where does it take place — Proceno Music Festival
Sala delle Storie Profane - Palazzo Guido Ascanio Sforza
Palazzo Guido Ascanio Sforza, Piazza della Libertà, 01020 Proceno